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Lee Fang

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Lee Fang
File:Lfang.jpg
EducationBA, Government from University of Maryland
OccupationInvestigative journalist

Lee Fang is a senior investigator at the Republic Report, a nonprofit organization focused on getting money out of politics.[1] Fang is a former investigative blogger for ThinkProgress.[1][2]

Early life and career

Fang's hometown is in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He attended college at the University of Maryland, College Park, graduating with a B.A. in government and politics.[3]

Fang was an intern with ThinkProgress and also a researcher for Progressive Accountability. As an undergraduate, Fang also interned for Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH), for the activist watchdog outfit Media Matters and for the lobbying firm Westin Rinehart.[3]

Lee Fang wrote A Field Guide to the Right: The Conservative Machine in the Age of Obama, which was published by The New Press in 2011.

His contributions to ThinkProgress have included such articles as “GOP Congressman Tells Televangelists US Must Give Aid to Israel or 'Lose God's Hand” in May 2011 and “Why the Occupy Wall Street Protests Embody Values of the Real Boston Tea Party,” in October 2011.[4]

Fang has been a vigorous critic of racism, Islamophobia of American right-wing evangelicals,[5] and of the Tea Party movement.

A clip of an interview by Fang of David Koch appeared in season one, episode five of HBO's The Newsroom.[6] The clip shows Koch bothered by Fang's mention of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, the landmark case that eliminated one hundred years of campaign finance law by allowing unlimited corporate money in elections.[7]

Fang has a book slated for publication in late 2012.[1]

Chamber of Commerce article

On October 5, 2010, Fang wrote a story on ThinkProgress, where he alleged that the United States Chamber of Commerce funded political attack campaigns from its general fund, which solicits funds from foreign sources. Citing unnamed sources, Fang stated that the chamber is "likely skirting longstanding campaign finance law that bans the involvement of foreign corporations in American elections."[8]

The story attracted national attention. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce denied Fang's charge, stating on its website that "no foreign money is used to fund political activities. All allegations to the contrary are totally and completely false."[9] Fang discussed the story on National Public Radio,[10] and on MSNBC with Keith Olbermann. Fang told MSNBC's Keith Olbermann that the Chamber is "going to foreign businesses and foreign individuals, saying, 'if you send us checks, you'll have a voice in American public policy debates.' They're sending those checks to the same bank account used for the attack ads."

The New York Times judicial columnist Eric Lichtblau questioned the veracity of Fang's ThinkProgress article's claims.[11] Lichtblau mentioned Fang's article by name, "Exclusive: Foreign-Funded ‘U.S.’ Chamber of Commerce Running Partisan Attack Ads,” and wrote that Fang "provided no evidence that the money generated overseas had been used in United States campaigns. Still, liberal groups like MoveOn.org pounced on the allegations, resulting in protests at the chamber’s offices, a demand for a federal investigation by Senator Al Franken, Democrat of Minnesota, and ultimately the remarks by Mr. Obama himself."[12]

A wire by the Associated Press, entitled "SPIN METER: Foreign money in politics? Not proven", also questioned Fang's allegations, repeated by "The Obama administration and its allies", concluding "Trouble is, they're providing no evidence." The Associated Press article cited Richard L. Hasen "expert on election law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles" who was quoted as saying "There is no evidence at all that the chamber has done anything illegally."[13]

Factcheck.org also picked on Fang's allegations, and published "Foreign Money? Really? Democrats peddle an unproven claim." In the article, Factcheck stated: "Democrats, from President Barack Obama on down, are trying to turn an evidence-free allegation into a major campaign theme, claiming that foreign corporations are "stealing our democracy" with secret, illegal contributions funneled through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It’s a claim with little basis in fact." Factcheck went further in their questioning of Fang, highlighting the relationship between ThinkProgress and John Podesta: "the claim that money from foreign corporations is funding Chamber of Commerce attack ads originated with a Democratic-leaning organization headed by John Podesta, former chief of staff for President Bill Clinton... The word "likely" made clear the author was engaging in speculation, which the chamber flatly denied."[14]

The Washington Post's Ezra Klein also weighed into the issue, stating: "The Democrats' attack on foreign campaign contributions is pretty much bunk. The Chamber of Commerce, like many large organizations with an international presence, takes in money overseas. It also spends money here. That does not mean it spends foreign money here. As far as I can tell, no one who has seriously looked into this thinks it's any more than some election-season hardball from the Democrats."[15]

While Time (magazine) Mark Halperin dismissed the notion of "Foreign Boogeymen" as "really mystifying".[16]

References

  1. ^ a b c "United Republic Team". United Republic Website. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  2. ^ "Fang bio". ThinkProgress.
  3. ^ a b "Lee Fang". Center for American Progress.
  4. ^ Fang, Lee. "GOP Congressman Tells Televangelists U.S. Must Give Aid To Israel Or 'Lose God's Hand'". Think Progress. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  5. ^ Fang, Lee. "Breivik Was Influenced By American Islamophobes Behind 'Ground Zero Mosque' Hysteria". Think Progress. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  6. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMvExt1rUY8
  7. ^ http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/01/10/137917/citizens-united-koch/
  8. ^ Fang, Lee. "Exclusive: Foreign-Funded 'U.S.' Chamber of Commerce Running Partisan Attack Ads". ThinkProgress.Org.
  9. ^ Chris Frates (10/05/2011). ""Chamber of Commerce Under Fire for Foreign Cash". Politico. Retrieved 18 August 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Terry Gross (October 7, 2010). "'Citizens United' Ruling Opened Floodgates On Groups' Ad Spending National Public Radio". {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  11. ^ ERIC LICHTBLAU (October 8, 2010). "Topic of Foreign Money in U.S. Races Hits Hustings". New York Times. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lichblau was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ JIM KUHNHENN (October 10, 2010). "SPIN METER: Foreign money in politics? Not proven". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  14. ^ Factcheck.org (October 11, 2010). "Foreign Money? Really? Democrats peddle an unproven claim". Factcheck.org. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  15. ^ Ezra Klein (October 12, 2010). "Tom Toles is worth a thousand words". The Washington Post. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  16. ^ Mark Halperin (October 12, 2010). "Halperin's Take: The Foreign Boogeymen". Time (magazine). Retrieved 31 July 2012.

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